Raider Rivalry: Indiana Jones vs Lara Croft
by Alexis Rockford
Summary: The Raider of the Lost Ark meets the Tomb Raider . . . and sparks fly! BTW, this story assumes that Indy 4 never happened as it was written before that movie's release. Enjoy, r/r!
1. A Familiar Face

Lara and the other pop culture archaeologist can't stand each other. Looks like it's  
  
Raider Rivalry  
  
Chapter One: A Familiar face  
  
  
Lara stretched out on her beach towel and sighed in contentment. The warm southern sun  
bathed her in an apparent force field of light that nothing could penetrate. Life had been good for  
the well-traveled tomb raider the last couple months. She had retrieved the four artefacts carved  
from the meteorite and defeated Dr. Willard in what seemed like no time flat for her and now she  
was at that rare stage in her life cycle where she was ready for a little relaxation. Soon, she knew,  
the adventuring bug would return and bite her- hard- and she would be forced to search for  
excitement again, but for now, it was good just to lay beside the pool, trailing her hand in the  
cool water, closing her eyes . . .  
  
She dreamed that she was looking at herself adorned in a gorgeous white satin gown with a long  
flowing veil on her head. So it was the infamous wedding dream, eh? She'd never had this one  
before. The simulacrum's hair was still held back in her trademark braid and she could almost  
see the bulge of her pistols underneath the dress. How ridiculous can you get, she thought and  
smiled in amusement. The dream Lara marched down the isle to the familiar strains of the Tomb  
Raider theme (this was getting really corny), but when she reached the altar, no one was there (I  
wonder why.) This didn't seem to phase her in the least, and Lara saw her other self just stand  
there and wait for what seemed like hours. Finally, the dream Lara turned around and marched  
out of the church. Lara's eyes followed herself as she exited the sanctuary and she was about to  
chase after the phantom when she felt herself fall into the water with a giant splash.  
  
Lara sputtered and writhed in the water until she finally reached the surface. "You ought to be  
more careful, mon ami!" called a familiar voice. A potbellied middle aged man peered at her  
from the other side of the pool.  
  
"Jean-Yves!" Lara called to her friend and associate. "Why didn't you tell me you were  
coming?" She treaded water until she was as close as she could be to the Frenchman without  
exiting the pool.  
  
"I did not know myself until a few minutes ago," explained the short blonde man in front of her.  
"There is so much preparation to be done for the exhibition that I do not know when I will be free  
until I already am. In fact, the only reason I came was to ask about the proper display case for the  
Infada stone and your other recent acquisitions."  
  
Lara gave him a withering look before pulling her slim body onto the deck area to sit  
beside him. "Really, Jean, you know I trust your judgement completely on these matters. Besides,  
I'm not the one who wanted to have this silly exhibition anyway; it was your idea and it took all  
your debating skills to convince me to go through with it. I already told you I couldn't care less if  
nobody saw my acquisitions but myself."  
  
"Oui," agreed Jean thoughtfully. "And the fact that you obtained most of them illegally certainly  
makes it difficult for you to show them publicly at all with impunity."  
  
"Still gnawing at that old bone are we?" asked Lara in exasperation as she wrapped her towel  
around herself, concealing the sexy black bathing costume she was wearing. "I already know  
your disappointment in that respect. It was a bee in your bonnet for years when we first met. You  
were always saying, 'Lara, why couldn't you be a real archaeologist and get permission for every  
bloody thing you do?' Honestly, that talk sickened me as much as the thought of my illicit  
expeditions sickened you. Oh, and by the way, it continues to sicken me to this day so if we  
could change the subject, I'd be extremely grateful."  
  
Jean-Yves shook his head in an annoying sort of admonition at his young friend and settled back  
in a nearby deck chair as Lara dove into the water again.  
  
Lara slid through the water as gracefully as a swan, her muscular legs propelling her across the  
pool. Lara felt almost as much at home in the water as she did on land, even more so at times,  
which was a good thing since her job called for deep-sea dives as well as digs. She had grown to  
love the water since her early childhood when she used to pretend she was a mermaid gliding to  
the depths of the ocean with the utmost of ease. As an adolescent, she dreamed of being like  
Esther Williams, the famed water ballerina from the classic movies she used to watch. Now as an  
adult, her fancies were a little tamer, though not much so, for she still like to relive the surreal  
adventures she'd had in the sea: adventures far too fantastic for anyone but their heroes to  
believe.  
  
When Lara broke the surface again, she saw that the pool area of the hotel was not as deserted as  
it had first been. A dozen or so vacationers were spread about the deck, their ages ranging from  
infants to the elderly. Lara waded back to the shallow end and was about to exit the pool when  
she saw a security guard enter through the gate that separated the pool area from the front lawn.  
"Everybody out of the pool area, now! We've got an emergency situation here!" the guard cried  
through his megaphone. A large percentage of the crowd gasped in horror and scurried to  
evacuate the pool area. Mothers grabbed their children out of the pool to safety, while middle  
aged men and women helped the elderly along. But Lara just stood there waist deep in the water  
and refused to budge. It wasn't that she was in a hurry to die in contaminated waters, but she had  
a feeling that there really was no physical danger present. Her suspicions were aroused by the  
sight of a well built young man in a wetsuit ordering the security guards around. Why would a  
pedestrian be instructing the security guards to evacuate the site of a contaminated area?  
Wouldn't the person to convey this important knowledge be in one of those lab coats the  
community health inspectors usually wore? And if the pool was infected, why would the man  
who was telling people to clear the area look like he was about to enter the diseased waters  
himself? So Lara stood there staring at the man, waiting for him to call his own bluff and admit  
that this was just a cheap plot for him to get the pool for himself for whatever lame reason he had  
for doing so.  
  
"Lara, why aren't you leaving?" asked Jean-Yves who was waiting for her at the gate. "Didn't  
you hear the man say it was an emergency?"  
  
"Oh, I heard all right," Lara replied smugly as she waded back to the deep end, "but there is no  
emergency." Jean-Yves stared in disbelief at his brash young friend and breathed a silent prayer  
for her as he quickly quitted the area.  
  
By now, the deck was completely deserted except for a few straggling security guards who were  
nervously eying Lara as if to will her out of the water, and the man in the wetsuit, who was still  
oblivious to her presence. Suddenly, the man turned around and spotted her complacently doing  
laps in his precious dive site. "Hey you!" he called. "I thought I told you to get out of here!"  
  
"You might get farther if you say 'please,'" Lara coyly returned as she continued to traverse the  
pool's now relatively calm waters.  
  
The man appeared as though he was about to yell again, but he took a deep breath and said very  
calmly, "Will you please get out of the pool, miss? You are halting the wheels of progress."  
  
"Sorry," said Lara brazenly, "I'm having far too much fun to give up my aquatic recreation to a  
childish whim of yours."  
  
"Childish whim!" interjected the man as he entered the waters. "You'd like to think that wouldn't  
you? The men told you there was an emergency here so don't you think you should get out before  
something happens to you?" By now, he was so close to Lara that she could see his face quite  
clearly. It was a rugged yet kindly face that she thought she recognized from somewhere but  
couldn't quite place. But before the man could grab her with his strong hand to drag her out, she  
darted out of the way as fleetly as a fish and swam to the other side of the pool.  
  
"If this is such a dire emergency," she ventured playfully as the man dove after her again, "then  
why are you endangering yourself by entering the pool?" She evaded another of his attempts and  
dove under the water only to pop up at the other side once more.  
  
"You are not only quick and light on your feet but in your wit as well," remarked the man in  
befuddlement as Lara circled around him like a shark. "Under different circumstances, we might  
have become friends. But as it is, I must insist that you exit the vicinity immediately so that I may  
proceed with my work."  
  
"Ah, I am finally getting somewhere!" Lara exclaimed. She stopped her dizzying circles for an  
instant to look the man in the eye. "I now know that you are employed in something that has to  
do with chasing me from this pool. Are you, by chance the pool cleaner?"  
  
The man no longer seemed a bit amused at her antics. "I don't have time for these foolish games,  
Miss-"  
  
"Croft, Lara Croft, as in Lord Henshingly's daughter, world famous archaeologist adventurer."  
  
"How dare you abuse that title!" the man said in indignation. "You are no more an archaeologist  
than-"  
  
"- you are a gentleman," she finished dryly. "And yes, I am." By now they were back in the  
shallow end and Lara had sat down on one of the steps with the air of a queen on her throne.  
  
"You are a mere thief of priceless relics, a privateer!"  
  
"And I suppose you're an expert in the field," Lara said with her arms crossed on her chest in a  
most unattractive manner.  
  
"Actually-" began the man, but he was interrupted by the booming voice of a security guard.  
  
"Do you need any help with that intruder, Professor Jones?"  
  
Lara's eyes lit up in understanding as her gaze returned to the man's face. "That wouldn't be  
Professor Henry Jones, would it?"  
  
"As a matter of fact it would," said Professor Jones calmly. "Now will you please get out of here  
so I can continue my work?"  
  
Lara nodded and climbed out of the pool in a haze of confusion. She grabbed her towel and  
wrapped it around her slim frame, not removing her eyes from the figure in the pool who was  
now investigating something in the waters at the opposite end. The last thing she saw as a guard  
escorted her through the gate of the deck area was the lone shape of Indiana Jones, famous  
archaeologist and her past role model, searching for something in the cold waters. 


	2. Indy's Proposition

Chapter Two: INdy's Proposition  
  
"Would you like your check now, miss?"  
  
Lara glanced up from her reverie in obvious embarrassment. She nodded to the bartender and  
began sipping her gin and tonic water tentatively. All day, she couldn't forget about what a  
jackass she had made of herself in front of Professor Jones. Here was the man she had wanted to  
meet all her life, and all she could do was annoy him and incur his wrath. What a fool she had  
been! And how was he still alive and looking so young after all these years? Lara had tried to  
drown her troubles in the comforting oblivion of alcohol, which she had unwittingly discovered  
on one of her previous adventures,* but to no avail. Her stupidity and ignorance kept coming  
back to haunt her. Lara picked up the check warily and was about to pay when something red  
leaking through the parchment caught her eye. She flipped the paper to reveal a note scribbled in  
a bold, red handwriting: Meet me outside the door of room 811 as soon as possible - H. Jones.  
Lara crimsoned and turned the paper over lest someone should see. So he was going to rub it in  
was he? Or perhaps he was willing to forgive and forget - if they could sleep on it tonight. The  
very idea repulsed her. "I just won't go," she said to herself as she paid the bill and exited the  
barroom.   
  
Lara fell back in her room heaving a sigh of exhaustion and apparent relief. A low rumble and a  
nudging at her legs told her that Marco Kitty, her grey-and-white Persian mix cat, was hungry for  
attention and possibly food. "Winston, did you feed Marco yet?" Lara asked of her faithful butler  
as she stroked her kitten's fur affectionately.  
  
"Yes, Miss Croft," replied Winston from his quarter of the suite. Everyone she was acquainted  
with thought it scandalous that she share a hotel room with her butler except Jean-Yves. But he  
was a Frenchman and had probably shared a few hotel rooms in his life as well, and not as  
innocently as Lara and Winston.  
  
Lara thanked Winston for the information and softly scolded the cat, "You can't possibly be  
hungry, love, you were just fed."  
  
Marco mewed pitifully, but he seemed to understand that he wasn't going to get any scraps from  
his mistress at present. Instead, he circled Lara a few times and settled down to sleep.  
"You just rest, little fellow," Lara cooed to her pet, "just rest . . ." Suddenly, rest didn't seem like  
such a bad idea. Lara slipped into her pajamas and was just settling down in her bed when she  
heard the front door opening. "What the blazes?" she began, but her sentence was halted by the  
sight of a man entering her bedchambers.   
  
"You didn't show up," said the man, looking more than a little annoyed. "I'm not used to being  
refused."  
  
"Get used to it," retorted Lara as she pulled her covers up to her chin in false modesty, "and leave  
this room at once. How did you get in here anyway?"  
  
"I followed you when you left the bar downstairs because I figured you weren't going to come to  
me," Professor Jones explained. "When you entered your apartment, to my good fortune, you  
forgot to lock the door. I didn't realize that I intrigued you so much as to cause you to be careless.  
Now can we please talk business." His eyes were fixated immovably on her face.   
  
Lara didn't like the way he was staring at her. It made her feel queer inside as if she were being  
convicted in a courtroom. "What do you mean?"  
  
"I would like to enlist your help in uncovering a very important relic," he began. "Are you  
interested?"  
  
"You mean shoot the breeze with you and your men? I work a single, you know. I don't do  
partnerships."  
  
"Are you certain you won't reconsider?"he asked in that low commanding voice of his. "It's the  
discovery of a lifetime, and you won't be unrewarded."  
  
"Listen, Jones," she snapped at him, "I've worked on commissions before and I was nearly  
cheated out of my eyeteeth and killed to boot. I'm not questioning your personal integrity, but I  
just can't trust anyone, even you."  
  
"That's a shame," he said pityingly, "I feel sorry for people who can't trust anyone. Well, I tried,"  
he continued to himself, securing his fedora more snugly in his head as he turned to go. "I won't  
bore you with the story of how I discovered the secret to youth or how-"  
  
"The what?" inquired Lara, forgetting even the pretense of decency by letting the blanket slip  
down her shoulders.  
  
"Sorry," he said. "I can't tell you unless you're in on the deal. It's all part and parcel of the  
agreement to help me."  
  
"You men are all alike!" sulked Lara. "You never give anything without expecting something in  
return."  
  
"It seems to me that you women are no worse," he replied calmly. "It certainly took you long  
enough to comply to my simple request to leave the water this afternoon."  
  
Lara bristled at this reference to the afternoon's fiasco. "Must you lay on a guilt complex,  
Professor Jones? All right already I'll help you. I guess I sort of owe it to you after how I treated  
you."  
  
Indiana couldn't hide the smile that was sneaking on his lips. "I knew I could persuade you, Lara.  
Well, goodnight, I guess, and I'll meet you tomorrow morning in the lounge." He exited the room  
and the last thing he said before he slammed the door behind him was, "And please, call me  
Indy." And with that, he was gone.  
  
"Right," muttered Lara. "In your next life."  
  
Just then, Winston's boyish face popped into the doorway. "I suppose we will be seeing  
Professor Jones for tea someday soon," he stated with a look of puerile optimism on his  
countenance.  
  
"Goodnight, Winston," was all Lara could think to say.  
  
********************   
  
But it wasn't a good night for Lara. Even with the aid of the alcohol she had recently  
consumed, she just couldn't seem to fall asleep for wondering about Indiana Jones. If she  
remembered correctly, he had been alive and already discovering priceless artifacts before World  
War II. How could he still look so young after all these years? Maybe when he had drunk from  
Christ's cup he had become immortal. No, he had lost the cup so he wouldn't need to be  
immortal to protect it like the knight had. Besides, all of that probably never happened. The  
illustrious adventurers' amazing stories were probably just that- stories; stories trying to  
romanticize the actually dull and tedious work of a "real" archaeologist. Try as she might, Lara  
simply could not solve the conundrum, the real reason for his continued youth, not to mention the  
mystery of where he had been for the last fifty years. And what about those bones she had found  
in the temple at Angkor Wat,* the bones she had been sure were his? Finally, after many hours of  
restlessness, she finally fell into a troubled sleep.  
  
The next morning, Lara exited her suite and nervously headed for the hotel lounge. The lounge  
was located in a small apartment above the lobby which was reached by a stairway on the outside  
of the building. It consisted of a counter in the back left corner which provided free coffee for the  
guests, a chess table on the right wall where two gossipy old ladies were currently occupied, and  
a computer next to the coffee counter. There was also a large picture window on the far wall  
which looked out over the pool area and the ocean beyond. Lara sat down on a green leather sofa  
facing the window and sighed.  
  
"Looking for me?" asked a voice from behind her.  
  
Lara nearly jumped two feet at the unexpected sound of Professor Jones' voice. "Hello,  
Professor," she said as calmly as she could as she turned around to look at him. Surprisingly, he  
was dressed in his most formal professor attire and fedora-less.  
  
Indiana chuckled and smiled at the startled tomb raider. "I always seem to catch you off guard  
whether its by the pool or in your bedroom last night." At this remark, the heads of both of the  
women at the chess table shot up.  
  
"Oh, hush, will you?" Lara whispered sharply. "We're not the only ones in this room, and I don't  
want some stupid rumor to start circulating that we are an item. Besides, you didn't catch me off  
guard, I was merely a little startled."   
  
"I'd say," said Indy dryly. "Well anyway, that's not what I want to discuss with you. I wanted to  
tell you about," he lowered his voice, "the Fountain of Youth."  
  
"Pardon me?" asked Lara in surprise.  
  
Indiana glanced suspiciously at the ladies playing chess. "Come on," he whispered, "let me take  
you on a little drive, and I'll tell you everything."  
  
"I don't know if I like the sound of that," Lara said uncomfortably.  
  
"Oh, come on, Lara, I'm not always a cad, I can be strictly business, too," he spat in disgust.  
Then, to prove his point, he pulled out his reading glasses from his vest pocket and put them on,  
"See? Now are you coming or not?"  
  
Lara hesitated briefly before giving her assent. "This better be good," she muttered.  
  
Indy raised his eyebrows mischievously and offered her his arm, which Lara refused. His  
welcoming smile was immediately replaced by an annoyed frown. "Here we go," he said under  
his breath as Lara followed him to the parking lot.  
  
  
* See Stockholm Syndrome, my first Lara fic.  
  
* There is a pile of bones with a fedora and whip lying next to it in the Angkor Wat level of TLR.  
Check it out. 


	3. Explanation and Accusation

  
Chapter Three: Explanation and Accusation  
  
  
Indy escorted Lara into a bright vermillion Mustang convertible. Lara raised her eyebrows  
in surprise as she ran her hand across the shiny car. "Nice car, Jones. I thought you'd still be  
driving around in one of those antique Jeeps from the War."  
  
Indiana, who had just resumed the driver's seat, was unamused to say the least. "Very funny, now  
get in before I get a notion to run you over," he said in a strident tone that demanded obedience.   
  
Lara shook her head in disbelief at this man who could be so- she hated to admit it- charming one  
minute and so irascible the next. She settled into the passenger seat, but before she could fasten  
her safety belt, Indy had started the car and zoomed out of the parking lot. Lara grabbed her  
sunglasses just before they were ungracefully whipped from her face. "What a wonderful driver  
you are," she remarked dourly as she held her sunglasses firmly on her head.  
  
"Thank you for the compliment, Miss Croft," remarked her chauffeur not a little sarcastically.  
"But wait til I get started."  
  
"Oh, I will," replied Lara coyly as she finally manage to buckle her seatbelt. "There seems to be  
no other alternative besides jumping out and that would be suicide. I'm a little too young to die,  
don't you think?" she asked sweetly.  
  
"You'll kill me if I tell you what I really think of you so I am obliged to agree, Miss Croft."  
  
"Stop calling me that! I hate people calling me by my surname," Lara called over the roar of the  
wind.  
  
"Well, maybe I'm not too keen on being called 'Jones' either," he retorted bitterly.   
  
"I'm sorry, J-" Lara caught herself before she addressed her companion by his surname again,  
"Professor, but I refuse to call you 'Indy' either. Is it true that name came from your dog?" Lara  
asked smugly.  
  
"Are all women this insensitive, or is it just the ones I acquaint that are afflicted with this  
flippancy of tongue," returned the professor, who was apparently using his university-acquired  
vocabulary to the fullest extent.  
  
Lara decided that the best way to end the battle of wits at a draw would be to keep her "flippancy  
of tongue" under control for the time being. Indiana seemed satisfied with her prudent reply, or  
rather lack thereof, and decided to change the subject. "I'm sure you are curious as to why I had  
the pool area evacuated yesterday, so I will tell you, that is, if you promised to keep your mouth  
shut long enough for me to complete my tale without interruption.  
  
Lara nodded her assent, and Indy proceeded with his explanation, "Well, as you know, I  
disappeared more than a few years ago after one of my expeditions; I will not name dates, for I  
cannot clearly recall them myself as you will soon see why. I actually can't remember just what I  
was doing in Florida, but anyway, I was exploring the Everglades without companion for some  
artifact or other when I realized I was lost. I searched for an exit from that infernal swamp for  
several excruciatingly hot and was about to give myself up for dead when I chanced upon a  
clearing in the bog. Standing there amongst the weeds and wildlife was the most beautiful  
woman I had ever seen. I was positive that this was all a mirage and that any moment she would  
fade away and I would be lost once more, but she spoke to me and said, 'Henry, you have finally  
come home.' It was then that I realized that it was my mother. I ran to embrace her, but she  
signaled me to stop. 'No, you mustn't touch me, for if you do, you will become immortal like me  
and will have to stay here forever. I asked her where 'here' was and she replied, 'The Fountain of  
Youth.' Now if any other person had told me that under any other circumstances, I would have  
deemed them mad. But this was my *mother,* a woman I hadn't seen since I was a very small  
boy.  
  
"'They told me you were dead,' I faltered as I took in every feature of my mother's lovely face.  
  
"'Well, in a way, I am,' she told me. 'I was the first to have seen what no man was meant to see,  
so I am doomed to stay here forever. If I leave, I'll die.'  
  
"My heart went out to her and I cried, 'Oh, mother, let me touch you, so I can stay here forever  
and you may go home to father.'  
  
"But she shook her head. 'Henry,' she began, 'I must always stay here no matter what happens as  
a punishment for my discovering this sacred place. If you touch me, you will just have to stay  
here with me. As it is, you will now be eternally youthful and never grow old just because you  
have come here. I know that sounds appealing at first, but once you find someone to love and  
realize that they will grow old and die and that you will always be young, you will curse the day  
you came to this place.'  
  
"Of course, at the time I thought my mother crazy, though I never said so. For who could ever  
tire of being youthful? Now I know better, and sometimes I wish I could grow old, but anyway, I  
stayed with my mother a long time and she told me how she had found the Fountain quite by  
accident when she was searching for my father. He had gone on one of his quests for a religious  
relic in the Everglades, and when she didn't receive word from him, she went to look for him,  
leaving me at the hotel with my nurse. She never came back, and when my father did, the nurse  
told her that she had been killed and dragged away by one of his rivals, which is what my mother  
told her to say in case she didn't return. My father was very shaken, but he took the matter to the  
police, and when they couldn't find her, he took for granted that the nurse's story was true.  
  
"In the meantime, my mother had found the Fountain, which is not a physical fountain, but rather  
an area of about an acre which is designated by a rare and precious jewel known as the Eternity  
Stone, and had been cursed to stay there forever. The curse was threefold, she would live forever  
as long as she remained in that acre and die if she left it. Whoever touched her willingly would  
also be doomed to stay with her, and if she was removed from the premises, the Fountain would  
brake and be useless or if the Stone was removed, she would die and both the Stone and Fount  
would be useless until it was restored. The Stone is located outside of the Fount on an ancient  
pedestal so whoever takes it will not be cursed. Whoever then returned the Stone would renew  
the Fount and would be doomed to stay there forever, but my mother would still be dead.  
According to the curse, whoever entered the premises while my mother was still alive, which  
meant the Stone was still intact, would be eternally youthful and live forever, but would not be  
forced to stay at the Fount to remain alive."  
  
"Would you die if the Stone were removed?" queried Lara.  
  
Indy laughed bitterly. "Evidently not, for here I am. And it obviously didn't affect my  
youthfulness either."  
  
Lara's eyes opened wide in shock. "You mean someone took the Stone? Your mother is dead?"  
  
Indiana pulled over to the side of the road and buried his head in his hands. "Yes," he began  
slowly. "And the man who did it will not be punished unless he returns it, which is not very  
likely. Oh, damn him!" Indy hit the dashboard with his fist. "If only I had stopped him! But we  
were asleep when it happened, and when I woke up, she was dead and I knew what had  
happened. I exited the Fountain premises for the first time since I had entered and headed for the  
distant spot where my mother had told me the pedestal stood. The Stone, was needless to say,  
gone. I carefully read the long inscription on the plinth which revealed all the facts my mother  
had revealed- and one more. My mother hadn't told me that there was a way to undo my  
immortality as well. It read 'If one of those whose presence at the Fount has caused their  
immortality replaces the Stone after its removal, his mortality shall be restored, and the Fountain  
and Stone shall be swallowed up into the earth, never to be seen by man again. Any others who  
are immortal from the Fountain shall also be restored.' And that is where I am torn."  
  
"You mean, you don't know whether to find the Stone and replace it yourself, or let the one who  
took it find out about the Fount and replace it so you may avenge your mother," Lara quipped.  
  
"Bingo," said Indy as he pulled the vehicle out on the road again. "Either way, I had to find that  
Stone. So I found my way out of the Everglades and discovered that I'd been in there for forty  
years."  
  
"Sort of like Rip Van Winkle," mused Lara. "Time sure must fly there."  
  
"I guess. Well, I found out a few things about what had happened while I was in there, the new  
archaeologists and such. And that's why I was searching the hotel pool."  
  
"But why . . ." began Lara. Suddenly the light dawned on her. "You don't think *I* took it, do  
you?" asked Lara.  
  
"If the shoe fits . . ."  
  
"Listen, Jones, I never even heard about the Eternity Stone until today."  
  
"Then why are you here in Florida, to find another artifact?"  
  
"I-I am exhibiting some of my recent finds. I-"  
  
"Only play for sport, right? Then, why in hell would you be showing your acquisitions? Sounds  
pretty suspicious to me."  
  
"Why would I hide it in such a stupid place as a pool?"  
  
"You tell me," said Indy as he produced a brilliantly coloured object from his pocket.  
  
"The Stone?"  
  
Indiana nodded. "And guess where I found it."  
  
"What ever happened to innocent until proven guilty?" protested Lara.  
  
"I don't know," replied Indy as they pulled into the hotel parking lot. "I suppose we'll just have  
to find out."  
  
TBC . . . 


	4. Lara's Plan

  
Chapter Four: Lara's Plan  
  
  
For the first time since she had met him, Lara had absolutely nothing to say to her rival. A  
wave of emotions swept over her: fear, confusion, anger, and wonder. Wonder at such an  
incredible story; anger at Indy for accusing her so boldly upon mere circumstantial evidence;  
confusion as to who would have known about the stone to take it and kill Indy's mother; and fear  
as to what Indy would do when he found out who the culprit was. Lara ransacked her brain trying  
to recall her ever hearing about the Eternity Stone, but nothing came to her. She followed Indy  
into the hotel in silence, not knowing or caring where she was going. A few minutes later, she  
found herself outside her hotel room.  
  
"Here you are, Miss Croft," said Indiana bitterly.   
  
Lara started from her thoughts to look into his face. Contained therein was more pain and sadness  
than she had thought possible in the face of a mere mortal. How had he let her banter and insult  
him for so long, thinking what he thought of her: that she had killed his mother?   
  
Indiana seemed to have read her mind for he said, "I know what you are thinking," he said softly,  
almost kindly. "Why did I even try to reason with you, gain your confidence when the reason I  
did it was to accuse you of such an atrocity? Well this is why." Indy leaned forward and kissed  
her full on the lips.   
  
Lara was surprised to find herself kissing him back, but the maddening impulse soon passed and  
she pushed him away. "If I didn't feel so sorry for you, I'd shoot you to hell for that!" she  
sputtered as she entered her room and slammed the door in his face.  
  
Once she had made certain the lock was securely fastened, Lara leaned heavily against the door  
and sighed. She had never felt so absolutely out of control in her life. This man had in one breath  
practically sworn to kill her, and in the next, given her a token of esteem so gratifying that it had  
nearly turned her head. "I will never understand people." Lara mumbled to herself as she helped  
herself to the Earl Grey Tea that Winston had prepared for her. Marco Kitty padded over to her  
uncertainly and began to purr. Lara smiled as she rubbed him, and thought, "What I need is a  
good long nap."  
  
*****************  
  
Lara sat bolt upright in her bed, sweat pouring down her lovely face. Slowly, her heart  
rate slowed down and she realized the haunting scene she had just witnessed was a mere  
nightmare. Or was it? Lara tried to recall what it was that had scared her so. Now she  
remembered. In her dream, she had been wandering through the Everglades, searching for the  
Fountain of Youth when she had spotted a middle-aged man with a potbelly removing something  
from a pedestal near a clearing. A closer look had revealed the man's identity: Jean-Yves! She  
had screamed out to stop him, but it had been to late. There, she had woken up. "But it was just a  
dream," she tried to convince herself. The sight of her adorable kitten entering her bedchamber  
and mewing softly reminded her of an event that had happened not so long ago . . . an event  
which a dream she had had prophesied. Maybe this one was true as well! "That's ridiculous!" she  
said to herself as she scratched Marco kitty behind his fluffy grey ears. "Kell made that dream  
come true by telling Marco Bartoli about *my* dream.* But just the same, I think should find  
out." Lara reached for her phone and gave her faithful friend a call.  
  
"Allo? Lara?" said the Frenchman as he picked up the phone.  
  
"Yes, Jean, it's me," Lara began, "have you been to the Everglades lately?"  
  
Jean-Yves seemed to hesitate a moment before replying, "Why do you ask, my dear?"  
  
Lara tried to decide how to approach the subject without scaring him off. "Just curious," she lied,  
"I have an auntie who lives out that way and I wanted to know-"  
  
Obviously, Jean-Yves saw through her lame alibi for he cut her off, saying, "You have no  
relatives in America, Lara."  
  
Lara tried to think up a different story, but it was too late.  
  
"You've been talking to that Professor Jones, haven't you? Well anything he says is a lie!"  
  
Lara was about to probe the matter further, but she was stopped by the sound of the dial tone.  
Jean had hung up. Lara placed the phone back on the hook and picked it up again. She fished  
around her pocket until she found the receipt from the bar. She dialed three numbers- 8-1-1- and  
waited patiently for Professor Jones to answer. She felt slightly guilty for betraying one of her  
oldest and dearest friends on a hunch, but somehow she knew this was the right decision.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Hello, Professor Jones, this is 'Miss Croft.' Come over to my hotel room right away; I have  
something urgent to tell you."  
  
Lara could almost imagine the simper on his face when he replied, "Yes, ma'm."  
  
She returned the phone to its rightful place once more and patiently waited for Indy to arrive.  
Within minutes, she heard a polite knock at the door.   
  
"I'll get that, Miss Croft," said Winston as he admitted the stranger. Indy dashed into her  
bedroom with the speed of a tornado. "What is it?" he demanded.  
  
"I'll be glad to tell you as soon as you get my cat off your shoulder," replied Lara with a slight  
smirk. Marco Kitty had leapt onto Indy's shoulder as soon as he had entered the room and was  
now nuzzling him and purring contentedly.  
  
Indy frowned and finally managed to remove Marco's claws from his leather jacket and plop the  
cat on the floor. "Look what your stupid animal did to my coat!" he whined, pointing to a rather  
long tear in the said article, obviously left by the howling feline on the carpet.  
  
"Poor darling!" cooed Lara as she reached down to cradle her pet.  
  
Indiana rolled his eyes and said, "Well?"  
  
"I think I know who might've - I repeat *might have* - killed your mother: a very dear friend of  
mine, Jean-Yves Garner.*"  
  
The colour went all out of Indiana's face and then flooded back again in an unbecoming bright-  
red. "I might have known it was a friend of yours," he spat crossly.  
  
"I said *might have,* you lout!" Lara returned equally as angrily. "Now the only way to find out  
for sure is-"  
  
"To stake out the pool area and-"  
  
"See if he returns there for the stone," finished Lara, amazed that her rival was on the same  
wavelength as her. "And if he *did* take it, he will be retrieving his prize very shortly because he  
knows I'm on to him." Lara paused for a moment before asking, "Are you doing anything  
tonight?"  
  
"Can't think of a thing. And you?"  
  
"Nothing," replied Lara.  
  
"Then, let's do it," finished Indy. "Meet me by the pool at say-"  
  
"Midnight?" Indy nodded. "I'll be there."  
  
TBC . . .  
  
  
*See my other Story, Stockholm Syndrome. It's cheap advertisement I know. :)  
  
*Garner is not Jean-Yves's official surname. I made it up for the story. If anybody knows his real  
last name, feel free to e-mail me at lexirockford@yahoo.com and tell me 


	5. Be Content With His Eyes

Chapter Five: "Be Content With His Eyes . . ."  
  
  
Lara's entire body throbbed with a kind of nervous energy as she sneaked into the pool  
area. She couldn't say why, but she was thrilled and impatient for some reason. Normally, she  
avoided all alliances while on a mission, but this time it seemed so natural to be accompanied by  
Indy that she felt foolish for having despised assistance on her earlier missions. Maybe her new  
outlook came from the knowledge that for once her prospective partner was actually her equal  
and not just some brainless thug like Larson or Tony. Whatever the reason, she was in wild  
anticipation of the moment when their stakeout would begin.  
  
Needless to say, the gate to the deck was securely fastened for the night, and Lara found it  
necessary to climb the fence. Unfortunately, one of her holsters got caught on the gate and she  
tumbled forward. Just before her skull hit the sidewalk, she felt a pair of strong arms grab her and  
set her on her feet.  
  
"I know that all the ladies fall for me but this is a bit much," whispered Indy as he steadied her.  
  
Lara felt her cheeks crimson in embarrassment and hoped that it was too dark for him to notice.  
"Thanks for the lift," she returned coyly as the two crouched in the bushes waiting for the thief.   
  
They waited for only two hours, but to Lara, it seemed like eternity. She would start drifting off  
to sleep and Indy would have to rouse her. She had never felt so foolish- or tired- in her life. It  
was somehow comforting to know that someone was there to make sure nothing went wrong. For  
once, she was the one looked out for instead of the one doing the looking. Of course, Lara would  
never admit that it was nice to be cared for by anyone, least of all her rival. Even if he had agreed  
with her plan, he was the one who had doubted her innocence before, and that was unforgivable.  
Just the same though, he had such strong shoulders and such a nice way of pushing her hair out  
of her face when the wind blew it there. And such a wonderful . . . Lara yawned loudly and was  
about to nap again when she heard a sudden noise near the gate.  
  
Indy, who was still wide awake, snapped to attention. The two spies held their breath as they  
carefully scanned the deck. Several moments later, a shadowy figure came into view and headed  
for the water. Lara trained her pistols on the prowler and walked toward him. "Taking a midnight  
constitutional? How very intriguing; I was just about to do that myself."  
  
The man froze in his tracks at the sound of Lara's sarcastic comment. Indy switched on his  
electric torch and aimed it for the man's face. There, in the dim torchlight, stood a very  
frightened and surprised-looking Jean-Yves.   
  
Lara smirked at her comrade and holstered her guns. "Well, Monsieur Garner, it would appear  
you have some explaining to do."  
  
Jean was shaking like a lost child. "I'm sorry, Lara, but I had to do it," he faltered.  
  
"Do what?" demanded Lara as she grasped Indy's arm to restrain him from attacking the  
Frenchman. "Take the Eternity Stone? A likely story."  
  
Jean's eyes widened in absolute terror at the sight of the enraged professor. "You must believe  
me! The goddess, she wanted it this way; she told me that she wanted you to have a normal life."  
  
"What goddess?" boomed Indiana, shaking off Lara's grip and lunging at Jean. "You mean my  
mother, don't you? It's probably your fault she's dead, you bastard!   
  
"Really, professor, such an educated man should find a better way of expressing himself,"  
muttered Lara.  
  
"You stay out of this!" Indy hissed at her. Turning to Jean, he yelled, "Well, speak up, you  
coward! You killed her didn't you?"  
  
Jean looked ready to burst into tears. "Mon dieu, Lara! You must make him understand that I  
only did it because she wanted me to."  
  
"What were you doing in the Everglades that she would be able to tell you what she wanted?"  
Lara spat.  
  
"I heard of an eternally youthful and gorgeous woman that had been spotted in the swamps at  
intervals during the past seventy or so years, and I wanted to prove the rumors' accuracy," he  
began nervously. Indy looked ready to tear his throat out.  
  
"So this all comes down to sex again, does it?" said Lara in amusement.  
  
"What do you mean 'again?'" queried Indiana mischievously. "And what, pray tell, is the matter  
with sex?"  
  
"Nothing when it's in its proper place," retorted Lara, "but must it be the reason for everything  
idiotic that a man does?"  
  
"Yes!" chorused the two men in unison as they gazed at that marvel of anatomy known as Lara  
Croft.  
"Oh, damn you both!" sputtered Lara in exasperation. "Can't we get back to the subject at  
hand?"  
  
"I'm not the one who changed it," Indy unnecessarily reminded her.  
  
"What exactly did Mrs. Jones say to you, Jean?" Lara asked, ignoring Indiana's last comment.  
  
Jean-Yves took in several deep breaths before replying, "After several hours in the jungle, I  
found the Fount. Mrs. Jones saw me arrive and before I knew it she was saying, 'Do you see that  
pedestal over there? Do me a favor and fetch me that stone.' I, being the ladies' man that I am,  
naturally complied to her simple request and when I pulled out the artifact, I was amazed to  
discover that the ground shook and the lovely lady collapsed to the ground. I fled to her side  
immediately, but it was too late. 'Thank you for doing that for me,' she whispered in her dying  
breath. 'I am growing too old to enjoy life any longer. My husband is dead, but more importantly,  
my son would have been cursed to live the eternal life I have led if you hadn't just done that.   
Now he has the choice to live forever and keep the Fount open, or to place the stone back and  
regain his mortality. Please give this stone to Professor Henry Jones as soon as you can; he  
should be around these jungles somewhere. Tell him I sent it. I trust he will make the proper  
decision.' And then, she died."  
  
Lara and Indiana were silent for a while to let the story sink in. Lara was the first to speak.  
"When did all of this occur?"  
  
"Last week, just before you arrived in Florida for the convention. That's why I arranged for you  
to show your artifacts. I wanted to know your opinion of the matter before giving the artifact to  
Professor Jones. I thought it foolish to risk its transportation, and the only way to get you down  
here was to create an exhibition. I hid the object in the pool when I returned from the Everglades,  
hoping it would be safe there until I could talk to you. When I saw you talking to Jones, I thought  
that you would never listen to my side of the story, so I decided I would just keep the Stone  
myself and not worry about it. But since you know . . ." Upon speaking these words, Jean  
reached down into the crystal waters, opened a trap-door and began searching for the stone.  
  
"I've already taken care of that," Indy announced as he pulled the glittering artifact from his  
pocket. "Now why did you have to get Lara's opinion before handing the stone to me? You  
didn't doubt my mother's words, did you?"  
  
Jean had only to note the hateful gleam in Indiana's eyes before determining his answer. "That  
wasn't it at all. I just supposed that you would never believe such a fantastic story and would  
blame me for your mother's death and kill me. After all, who wouldn't think it's crazy that this  
lady didn't want to live forever?"  
  
Lara thought she noticed a flicker of sadness in Indy's eye, but the moment soon passed. "Eternal  
life isn't all it's cracked up to be," he remarked dryly. "I, of all people, should know." Indiana  
sighed deeply, looking up at the stars for some kind of sign. "Now which to choose."  
  
Jean stared at him in wonderment. "So it's true! The Fountain really can retain youthfulness!  
What a wonderful scientific discovery!"  
  
Indy sighed again. "That's the whole trouble."  
  
"What do you mean?" asked Jean in childish wonder.  
  
"What he means is that if he doesn't put the stone back, he can be examined for scientific studies  
and may be helpful in the battle against old age. And then, if someone else decided to return it,  
they would know what it's like to be immortal, too, and could also be tested as long as he stays in  
the garden. And of course there's the obvious benefits of eternal youthfulness and everlasting  
life," quipped Lara.  
  
"So where's the problem?" Jean-Yves reiterated.  
  
"If I ever wanted to have any kind of life whatsoever with people I care about, I'd have to put the  
stone back. And then, the Fount, stone, and my youthfulness would be gone and I'd have robbed  
the world of a great study," finished the professor.  
  
"That sounds a bit selfish to me," replied Jean. "*I'd* pick the first choice. I mean you are a  
scientist above all, right?"  
  
Indy looked deep in thought for a moment. "That's a very good question, Jean, a very good  
question, and until I figure out the answer, this little beauty's staying right here." He stuffed the  
jewel in his pocket once again and turned to Lara. "Come on, let's get inside. We can talk about  
this tomorrow. I bet we're all tired and need a good night's sleep."  
  
As if on cue, Lara let out a huge yawn. "That sounds like good idea, Jones."  
  
The three of them carefully exited the pool area and retired to their rooms. Lara fell asleep almost  
immediately after her head hit the pillow. The last think she saw before she lost consciousness  
was the lonely confused look in Indy's eyes when he had talked of the important choice he must  
make. The way his eyes had conveyed such feeling throughout the evening reminded her of a  
poem she had read once:  
  
"Be content, fair maiden,  
Be content with his eyes."*  
  
TBC . . .  
  
*An excerpt from "His Eyes," a poem by Cassandra Elise, a fellow FanFic writer. 


	6. All's Well That Ends

Chapter six: All's Well That ends  
  
Lara carefully moved her rook across the chessboard, placing it in a most advantageous  
spot. She smugly leaned back into the chair, waiting for her opponent to move.  
  
Professor Jones pulled his hat more firmly on his head and moved his queen out of the way.  
"You certainly do everything mercilessly, Lara," he smirked, "even a simple game of chess."  
  
Lara grinned widely as she brought her bishop up to claim his last knight. "What can I say?" she  
asked quite rhetorically.   
  
Indiana shrugged as he shifted his queen once more. "Whatever it is, I'm sure you'll say it  
beautifully."  
  
Lara shook her head and laughed. "Flattery will get you nowhere, Indy. I have a strong  
competitive streak." She pushed a pawn closer to the queen row.  
  
"You didn't have to tell me that, it's quite obvious!" he replied with a chuckle as he placed his  
bishop in a defense position of his queen.   
  
Lara paused her gaming strategy long enough to inquire, "What are you going to do about the  
Eternity Stone?"  
  
Indy's playful demeanor vanished, and his countenance grew somber. "I honestly don't know."  
  
Lara gazed at him thoughtfully before replying, "This isn't the sort of thing that needs rushing,  
but when word gets out of your youthfulness, as it surely will and quite soon, I'm afraid you will  
have to make up your mind almost instantaneously if you don't want to become a human lab rat."  
  
Indiana sighed heavily. "I've thought of that, and still I cannot reach any conclusion." He looked  
straight into your eyes. "I want your honest opinion: what should I do?"  
  
Lara was pleasantly shocked at his sudden thirst for her advice, but not wanting to sound  
didactic, as doubtless any advice she could give would, she simply said, "At times like this, it's  
best to follow your heart."  
  
At this simple sentence, all the grief and doubt seemed to vanish from his face. "Thank you, Lara,  
I think I will." Indiana stood up and was about to leave the clubhouse when he suddenly  
remembered the chess game. He glanced at the board in hopelessness until he realized that in all  
her scheming to capture his queen, Lara had left her own monarchs in serious jeopardy. In a  
flash, he sent his queen to the other side of the board declaring, "Check mate," grabbed his  
trademark leather jacket, and exited the vicinity.   
  
Lara gawked after him in disbelief; then she turned back to the chessboard. "Well screw this!"  
she exclaimed, scattering the pieces over the room.  
  
****************************  
  
Later that day, Lara was gliding in the pool once more while Jean-Yves was reviewing the  
itinerary for the exhibition that evening on a lounge chair. The guests had obviously forgotten all  
about the "emergency evacuation" of the pool the week before, for the deck and pool were full of  
people; people talking so loudly that Lara almost couldn't hear what Jean was saying.  
  
"First, the ladies and gentlemen from the press will arrive and interview you," he began as  
loudly was he could. "Next the aparatiffs and hors d'oeurves will be served, after that . . ."  
  
"I get the general idea," interrupted Lara, "the evening's going to be as dull as tombs." Then  
realizing the irony of her last statement, she quipped, "I mean very dull."  
  
Jean-Yves looked a bit confused at her correction, but he didn't say anything about it. Instead he  
asked, "Are you upset with me for what I did to Mrs. Jones?"  
  
Lara stopped treading water for long enough to reply, "I can't blame you really, except that I  
would never obey anyone, especially not a perfect stranger telling me what to do with an  
artifact."  
  
Jean-Yves seemed satisfied with this reply even though Lara had inferred that she wouldn't have  
made the same foolish error. After all, Lara had made other errors in her lifetime, and they were  
enough.  
  
Just then, Professor Jones entered the pool area, suitcases in hand and jacket slung over his  
shoulder. He set his luggage beside the pool and called out, "I'm leaving now, Lara."  
  
Lara swam over to the edge of the pool. "Already?" she asked, the disappointment in her voice  
quite evident. "I had thought that you could be my escort to the exhibition."  
  
Indiana threw back his head in a hearty laugh. "So you like me after all, Miss Croft. I must say  
that's a pleasant surprise."  
  
"I didn't say any such thing!" protested Lara over the sound of his chuckling. "I just thought it  
might be nice to have someone my equal with whom to converse at this dull affair."  
  
Jean-Yves looked slightly hurt at this insinuation, but like the coward he is, said nothing.  
  
The professor shook his head. "And be recognized in public and transported immediately to some  
top secret lab? No, thank you, though the offer was a tempting one." He gazed at Lara with  
something a bit more that professional admiration in his eyes.  
  
"I hadn't thought of that," quipped Lara in a rush, embarrassment creeping over her normally  
calm face. "Well, if you are going, I trust you've made your decision?"  
  
Jean-Yves jumped up in excitement. "You are going to give the Stone to Lara and turn yourself  
in to the government for thorough testing! How wonderful!"  
  
"I never said *that,*"spat the professor, "and I never will, because this jewel won't even exist by  
tomorrow morning." He patted a bulge in his pocket that was obviously the Eternity Stone. Jean-  
Yves's face fell about twenty feet.  
  
A wave of relief swept over Lara as he spoke. She didn't know why she was glad,m but  
somehow she was. Perhaps it was because she couldn't stand the sight of a perfectly good  
archaeologist being stripped of the very thing that made him so and put under close scrutiny for  
the rest of his life, which would be forever. Or perhaps it was because her feelings for the  
intrepid explorer were more than she would admit to anyone.  
  
Indy saw the relief in her eyes and knew that their rivalry was finally over. "I *will* see you  
again, someday, you can depend upon it, so I won't bother to say goodbye. I will merely say  
'until we meet again.'"  
  
Lara nodded her assent and Indiana Jones picked up his baggage and turned to exit the hotel.  
"Wait!" she called out to him. He stopped and turned to look at her. "What about the skeleton  
with the whip and fedora at Angkor Wat?"  
  
Indy looked confused. "What skeleton?"   
  
Lara shook her head. "Never mind. Have a safe trip. Beware of alligators!"  
  
"Now you're beginning to sound like my mother," joked Indy as he headed to the parking lot.  
  
And at that moment, Lara knew that he had forgiven her for everything she had ever done to  
upset him. And somehow, Lara forgave him, too.  
  
"Lara?" asked Jean-Yves, breaking into her thoughts. "What skeleton *were* you talking  
about?"  
  
"It's a long story," replied Lara as she exited the pool and watched Indiana's car drive away. "I'll  
tell you tonight if I ever get bored, and that's almost guaranteed after what's happened over the  
last few days!"  
  
The End!  
  
Raider rivalry  
  
Copyright 2001 By Alexis Rockford  
  



End file.
